


sunrise on the east side

by inkk



Series: alphabet AU challenge [2]
Category: Bandom, Of Mice & Men (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, One Shot, this is really dumb ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 13:50:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4668980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkk/pseuds/inkk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>B</b> is for <b>Barista</b>.</p><p>(In which Austin likes chai tea and Alan is the barista who writes pickup lines on his cup.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	sunrise on the east side

**Author's Note:**

> A) first work in this fandom. yikes.  
> B) written for the prompt 'i write a bad pick up line on your cup every time i’m your barista’  
> C) title is taken from the song 'Coffee Shop Soundtrack' by All Time Low bc im unoriginal trash  
> D) this is terrible and im really sorry

+

Alan _lives_ for the attractive customers.

It's not that working at the campus Starbucks is boring, except for the fact that it absolutely is. It's pretty much the closest thing to sleep he can do that he gets paid for.

Mind-numbing customer service and evil manager aside, though, he still desperately needs it to pay for things like "school" and "food" and "water" and rent for the crappy apartment he shares with five other stinky manchildren. 

Let's just put it this way: attractive customers are like a little tiny breath of fresh, clean air into his otherwise dank and mildewy life.

Like this guy, for example - tall, (which isn't that much of a very difficult feat when you're compared to Alan, but this guy is actually really tall, okay) with dark hair and a plaid button-down and little bit of stubble and... ugh. Alan can feel his eyes widening despite himself as the guy steps up to the counter.

"Oh, um," he blurts out after an awkward pause (geez, the dude even _smells_ good, what the fuck), "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Hey, can I get a, um, tall chai tea latte with nonfat milk?" The Guy asks with a small smile, and oh man. He is so, _so_ fucked.

"Yeah, definitely," Alan says, mentally shaking himself, "That'll be... $3.65, please, and can I get a name for that?"

He almost misses when the guy says Austin because when he looks down to take the money, he catches a glimpse of dark, swirling writing on his fingers and okay, wow, those are _tattoos_ and Alan is very, very on board with that--

"Hey, Ashby! You're up on drive-thru duty!"

Alan pauses with his sharpie poised over the paper cup and rolls his eyes, heaving a long-suffering sigh as he feels all hope of maybe chatting this guy up slipping away. "Yeah, just gimme a sec," he calls back. _So close._

"Hurry your butt up, there's a line of angry soccer moms waiting at the window!"

Groaning inwardly, Alan shoots one last glance up at Austin, then scribbles on the cup before handing it over to Phil to prepare and scooting over to the drive-thru window.

 

\+ + +

 

Austin exits the coffee shop in a hurry, latte in hand and a small smile on his face. 

In retrospect, going into the coffee shop last-minute probably wasn't the smartest idea - now he's going to have to be a few minutes late to class, which won't gain him any favours with the professor who already doesn't seem to like him--

The woman walking beside him stumbles, knocking into him and effectively starling him out of his thoughts. Fortunately, Austin manages to save his chai from falling to the ground, but the stack of papers she had neatly tucked under her arm go fluttering in all directions.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, bending down to frantically attempt to retrieve the mess.

"It's fine," Austin assures her with a smile, setting his cup aside and crouching down to help her gather the papers, "It happens."

She looks up with a grateful expression. "Thank you so much, it's just I have this presentation to my new boss this morning and nothing seems to be going my way at all and --" She pauses to take a deep breath. "Ugh. Anyways, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," says Austin, handing her the pile of papers he managed to assemble. "I hope it goes well for you today."

He watches her speed-walk away as fast as she can go in heels, slightly-crumpled papers clutched firmly in both hands this time.

When he bends back down to pick up his latte, he notices the sloppy black sharpie writing on the side of the cup - _'if you were a potato, you'd be a sweet potato.'_

It's enough to put a smile on his face for the rest of the day.

 

\+ + +

 

The next morning, Austin comes back to the coffee shop.

Alan watches him enter and join the end of the line - today he's wearing a sleeveless shirt with really low sides that shows off those tattoos on his arm and chest, and it's very possible that Alan might actually have a small heart attack right this very second.

Instead, he shakes himself a little and turns back to the customer he's been neglecting. "Sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"Alyssa," she frowns, apparently perturbed, "Are you on, like, drugs or something?"

He spends her name A-L-I-S-C-U-H for the fun of it, then quickly sets about helping the line of people until the morning rush has mostly cleared out and it's Austin's turn to order.

"Hi, what can I get you?" he asks cheerfully.

"A tall chai tea latte with nonfat milk, please," Austin replies, smiling that stupidly cute smile that kind of makes Alan want to stab himself in the heart. 

If this were a movie, now is the moment the romantic soundtrack would start to fade in; as it is, Alan can't help quietly humming a little excerpt of 'Kiss the Girl'.

" _Yes, you want her_ ," he sings under his breath, " _Look at her, you know you do, it's possible she wants you too..._ "

" _There's one way to ask her_ ," Aaron chimes in loudly, twirling past Alan with an eyebrow wiggle, "It don't take a word, not a single word - go on and kiss the girl!"

Alan rolls his eyes and hands Aaron the cup, cocking an eyebrow at Austin, " _Shalalala, my oh my_ ," he continues, " _Looks like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl..._ "

" _Shalalala, ain't that sad?_ " Aaron belts with relish as he prepares the drink, " _It's such a shame, too bad, you're gonna miss the girl_..."

"Ashby! Vanessa made a mess in the staff room, come help her clean up!"

Alan lets out a long breath, feeling his good mood rapidly deflating. _Perfect_. It feels as if the entire universe and his manager are co-conspiring to keep him away from Austin. 

"Yeah, coming," he calls back, turning to leave the counter. "Um, see you around," he adds to Austin, flashing a quick smile.

 

\+ + +

 

_'if you were a chicken, you'd be impeckable.'_

"What are you giggling about?" Tino asks, nudging Austin with one elbow as they walk.

Austin doesn't actually have class this morning, but he needs to drop by the campus bookstore for a journal and Tino is headed in the same direction.

"Nothing," he replies automatically, then, "Okay, so there's this guy, at Starbucks? And he writes cute things on my cups, look."

Tino squints at the messy handwriting. "Nice!" he laughs. "So, do you think he's into you?"

"Maybe? I dunno."

"Okay, let me rephrase - do you _want_ him to be into you?"

"I think so?" Austin blushes. "I mean, he's really cute and he sings Disney songs and he said 'see you around' today, and." He sighs. "I think I'm ready to move on from Shay."

Tino grins. "So you're gonna ask him out, then?"

"I've only met him twice!" Austin protests. "Eventually. In a few years, maybe, when I finally work up the courage."

 

\+ + +

 

When Austin goes back to Starbucks the next day, Alan isn't working. It would be a lie to say he wasn't at least a little bit disappointed.

He waits in line all the same, though, and when he steps up to order the guy says, "You're Austin, right? Tall chai latte with nonfat milk?"

"Um, yeah?" he nods, bemused. The guy just grins.

When Austin gets his cup, he finds a familiar patch of unkempt writing on the side - ' _i don't have a library card, but can i check you out? _'__

__It would be a lie if he said he wasn't at least a little bit charmed._ _

__

__\+ + +_ _

__

__This bizarre routine carries on for about two more weeks, with the cheesy pickup lines getting steadily more suggestive as time wears on; Austin would probably be worried about going broke via Starbucks, if he weren't always so distracted by Alan._ _

__Today's cup says '_ let's play titanic - you be the iceberg and i'll go down. _'_ _

__Austin stops on the sidewalk when he reads it, cheeks flushing red. "Oh my god," he mumbles, because. That's a pretty hot mental image._ _

__He texts a picture to Tino with the caption _"!!!"_ and gets a laughing face and a heart emoji in response._ _

_Ah true love_ , Tino texts, _U gotta ask him out dude, he's clearly into u_

Austin stops at the intersection and takes a sip of his sweet, sweet chai, looking thoughtfully down at the scrawled writing and considering the possibilities. 

It's being going on for long enough that he doesn't think Alan is just joking, but then again maybe he's secretly a very cruel, sadistic person who takes satisfaction from pretending to hit on people - Austin can't know, and he would really like to avoid making a fool of himself for once, thank you. 

He sighs, and his phone pings with another text from Tino. 

I can hear u overthinking it from here... Next time u see him just ask if he wants to hang out sometime 

_what if he says no and i look like an idiot??_ Austin texts back, _or what if he just wants to fuck once and never see me again??? i want things to go better than they did last time_

_Hes not going to say no, i can tell u that. And if he just wants sex, then... You get sex???_

_i guess so_

_So then go do it tomorrow!!_

_im so shit at this though, i hate being the one doing the asking. at least with girls you know they expect you to but with guys it's like ???_

_HE OFFERED U A BJ!! WHAT MORE OF A SIGN COULD U WANT!?_

_...right_

Austin takes a deep breath. Tomorrow it is, then. 

_\+ + +_

"I don't get it," Alan whines, sitting on the counter and swinging his feet, "Does he not like me back, or something?" 

Phil stops mopping to rolls his eyes for the third time in fifteen minutes. "I dunno, maybe he's just shy?" 

"But I implied a blowjob! That's, like, the most transparent thing I could do and yet he still hasn't made a move." Alan heaves a sigh. "Oh my god," he moans despairingly, "Maybe he's just straight and too polite to say anything!" 

Phil snorts, plunging the mop back into the bucket of water. "Yeah, right." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alan asks suspiciously. 

"It's just," Phil shrugs, "He blushes and giggles like crazy whenever he reads the cups, man. It's pretty cute to watch." 

Alan gives a small, mollified smile. "I just wish he'd say something, you know?" He sighs wistfully. "I feel like if I do anything more I'm going to look like some kind of desperate, sex-crazed fiend who preys on shy, innocent men. Maybe I should just give up." 

"Okay, let's shut that down right away," Phil waves a hand. "I mean, you totally _are_ a desperate, sex-crazed fiend," he chuckles when Alan slaps him on the shoulder, "but I definitely think he likes you too. Just give him a few days to make a move. If he doesn't, you can probably assume it's your turn again." 

"That actually sounds pretty reasonable," Alan agrees. "When did you get to be such a gay love guru?" 

_\+ + +_

"The next morning when it's Austin's turn to order, he asks, "How much does a polar bear weigh?" 

Alan cocks a confused eyebrow. "Um. I... don't know?" 

"Enough to break the ice," Austin replies smoothly, grinning. "Anyways, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go on a date with me sometime?" 

_\+ + +_

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!  
> any and all comments and kudos are extremely welcome :)


End file.
